


candy canes

by ikonisch (discordinparadise)



Series: ikonimals [1]
Category: iKON (Korea Band)
Genre: Does that exist?, Hope you like!, Hybrids, M/M, because jiwon as the biggest cutie DESERVES MORE, but a good successful mess!, but like...dog hybrid, candy canes are highly involved, cutie jiwon, dog-hybrid jiwon, i think, junhoe's a cutie too but he's a mess lmao, lots of fluff, merrrrrrrrry christmas!, so this is something
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-24
Updated: 2018-12-24
Packaged: 2019-09-26 15:46:18
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 13,548
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17144582
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/discordinparadise/pseuds/ikonisch
Summary: "What have we got...here," Junhoe mumbled with wide eyes, his voice going a little squeaky after he had opened the door and he quickly cleared his throat, even though he didn't need to. But there was a massive box in front of him, on his doorstep. A red one. With air holes."Oh darn." What's happening?Junhoe swallowed for a long second before he gingerly reached for the note on top of the box, suddenly terrified that he had been shipped a human because this box was definitely big enough for one.(in which Junhoe gets a beautiful dog hybrid for Christmas from an unknown source, and he wants to learn to love it)





	candy canes

Junhoe didn't think that it was too late for him to be putting up his Christmas tree. For one thing, he wasn't as bad as his coworker who was probably going to wake up at eleven pm on Christmas Eve with the dawning realisation before having to run to the stores in his pyjamas. But so  _what_  if Junhoe wasn't as great as Donghyuk who had his up on the 22nd of November, all assembled and decorated in one day in like, perhaps the most beautiful way ever?

It was these kinds of reasons that he liked living alone. He didn't have anyone taunting how he did things or ruining it all, he already saw his friends too much and having one or two of them in the same vicinity as him always? God, his head would  _explode._

"Aaaaand done," Junhoe sighed, smiling happily as he finished placing the gold star at the top of the tree, and he felt proud of his handiwork. So maybe the tree was going off to the side a little like the Leaning Tower of Pisa 2.0 but it had shine, it had shimmer, and Junhoe  _loved_  it. Maybe he would have hugged it if he wasn't scared it would poke him (and also because he could literally hear Jinhwan in his mind hollering 'TREE HUGGERRRRRR').

There was a knock at the door then and Junhoe blinked, wondering who on earth it could be. He stalled a bit by wrapping tinsel around one of the branches which looked a little lonely, tying it at the ends and since there wasn't another knock, he half thought about not going to the door. But curiosity won over as he picked up one of his rolls of wrapping paper to use as a weapon and he inched towards the door, slowly,  _slowly_...before he got too impatient and started moving a bit quicker.

"What have we got...here," Junhoe mumbled with wide eyes, his voice going a little squeaky after he had opened the door and he quickly cleared his throat, even though he didn't need to. But there was a massive box in front of him, on his doorstep. A red one. With  _air_  holes.

"Oh shit."  _What's happening?_

Junhoe swallowed for a long second before he gingerly reached for the note on top of the box, suddenly terrified that he had been shipped a human because this box was definitely big enough for one.

_Junhoe, Merry Christmas! I'm deeply sorry this took so long, but letters do get lost. Have a lovely New Year!_

There was no sign, no name, and Junhoe was so confused. He didn't remember asking for a living thing. He didn't remember asking anyone for anything really, let alone asking for it by  _letter_? Junhoe was a millennial (or well, close), he would never! He was snapped out of his thoughts when he realised two things at once: the letter smelt like candy canes and the box was making a noise, like a really soft growling noise. Junhoe swallowed again to ease his dry throat, his gift wrap baton still in hand as he put the letter to the side and slowly, carefully took off the lid with closed eyes and he couldn't open them for a second, too scared for the sight he was going to see. But the box smelt like candy canes one  _hundred_  times more than the letter and Junhoe was enchanted, leading to his eyes slowly blinking open.

And for a moment, a fraction of a long, long second, his heart fluttered.

At the bottom of the box, curled up and sleeping soundly, was a  _dog._

The dog was so beautiful. Its coat was dark gossamer, a sleek black that Junhoe had the urge to run his fingers through and its sweet paws were curled into itself as well as his tail as its dark nose trembled with each soft snore it made. It was no doubt a big dog, but not the biggest, and perhaps it was a German shepherd, maybe a husky? Or an Alsatian? Junhoe could never for the life of him discern between those three breeds.

But in an instant, Junhoe was dropping back down to earth from his high because there was so much baggage that came with what he wished could just be a blessing. Who gave this to him? Was it clean, was it free of disease? Would it ruin his house? Could Junhoe even  _afford_  to look after a dog? Maybe this was just a prank, either a prank to make his life a living hell in the way that the dog was just a straight up monster when he was awake, or Junhoe would get attached to it only for someone to take it away from him. What were the odds of  _anything_  being true? Maybe this was a dream, or a hallucination and Junhoe needed to see a therapist. Jinhwan was always telling him that- no wait, Junhoe's whole life motto was 'don't listen to what Jinhwan says'! Junhoe  _was_  sane. Definitely.

"Let me get you out of there, it must be uncomfortable," Junhoe murmured, reaching into the box and slowly slipping his arms underneath the dog. He almost gasped when he felt that yes, this dog was  _so_  soft and even softer than Junhoe had imagined, and it was heavy too but that didn't matter because it was like he was tasting heaven when Junhoe held it close to his chest. Gosh, he was getting far too excited about this...

The dog sneezed gently which made Junhoe's heart cry a little as he kicked the box inside and closed the door behind him, curling his arms around the dog securely as he carried it to his bedroom. He frowned because he was a little bit worried, wondering how long the dog had been in the box, or how long it had been since it had eaten, but it was knocked out cold so the most Junhoe could assume was that it had to be tired. So he rested it on his bed, hesitantly wondering if he should pull his blankets over it before he shook his head because dogs were warm enough with their fur alone, right? It just felt like good sentiment, though.

Then he left it. Still hovering over it, frowning a little as he watched the way the dog blew at its own fur whenever it snored in that gentle growly way. God, it was so cute. But Junhoe couldn't keep it, he couldn't possibly.

Junhoe let the dog be as he left to wrap his presents, trying his best to block the thought of it out of his mind. A few hours passed where he had kind of succeeded and then he had to get to his overnight shift, and as he shrugged on his coat, he sighed heavily.

"I'm going to come back to a ransacked house, aren't I?"

Nonetheless, he went into the kitchen and searched for food he could leave out, just in case that could appease it in some sort of way. He didn't have any dog food as far as he knew so he tiptoed outside and power-walked over to the next-door-neighbour's house, knocking and grinning in relief when it was answered. He had never talked to this neighbour before because he was antisocial as hell but the guy was  _pretty_ , and he seemed Junhoe's age too. Huh. What a coincidence. "Hi, hello. I couldn't help but notice that, uh, you have a kennel in your back garden? Does that mean you have a dog?"

The man shook his head, smiling tiredly. "My dog died a year ago, sweetheart."

Junhoe's eyes widened. "O-Oh gosh, I'm so sorry, I didn't mean to-"

"It's fine. Why did you ask?"

"I need some dog food..."

"Ah, I'm afraid I can't help you. You ran out?"

"No, more like...I was kinda just given a dog without being told...?"

"Like a surprise? Aww, that's cute."

"Yeah," Junhoe muttered even through his worries, sending the guy a smile before they were exchanging farewells and he left. Though he paused for a moment because he suddenly realised that it was quite odd for a guy to be calling him 'sweetheart'. But he shrugged it off, writing the reminder on his phone _'get some dog food before you come home!'_ His shift ended at four am anyway, hopefully the dog would still be asleep by the time he came back. And he wasn't wrong.

"Hey, doggie," Junhoe whispered sleepily as he snuck back into his room, bag of dog food in his hand but he was so tired that it slipped to the floor and he didn't even really notice as he yawned his lungs out, but as quietly as he could. He got freshened up, brushing his teeth at a sloth's speed before he finally collapsed back into bed, blinking at the dog for a second who had its face smushed into the pillow. Cute.

"It was nice to meet you," Junhoe whispered, grinning as he gently shook one of the dog's paws like a handshake and the dog whined very quietly in the back of its throat. "I'll probably take you to the dog shelter tomorrow but let's have tonight. Good night! You've had a long sleep, I hope it's been nice."

The dog didn't reply which Junhoe had expected, so he just closed his eyes and brought the blankets up to his chest, leaving a distance between him and the dog because Junhoe wasn't crazy about cuddling in general and even if they  _did_  cuddle, the dog might get scared in the morning and scratch him. Junhoe didn't want either of those things to happen.

Jesus Christ. Junhoe was  _not_  usually this soft. Was he? Junhoe didn't even know any more. Maybe he had a soft spot for animals. Or dogs. Or soft pretty dogs.

He went to sleep dreaming about one soft pretty dog in particular.

 

 

 

 

 

Junhoe felt so so warm when he woke up. He felt coddled, and secure, bordering on  _too_  secure, and the warm body against him smelt like fresh candy canes and Junhoe felt a smile grow on his lips as he snuggled closer, before he froze. Wait,  _what_? A warm human body? Junhoe didn't usually sleep in the same bed as anyone. No, no, he didn't even  _live_  with anyone. His eyes shot open with much difficulty because of the sleep sand and the weariness that was still settled in them but he had to know what was happening, and his voice box made a very weird noise when he saw who was against him.

A man.

A half-naked  _man._

_Holy crackers, did I actually have a fucking one-night-stand?!_

But he couldn't remember a thing, nor did he have a headache which would give a logical solution to everything - alcohol.

He slowly gulped down his nerves, watching the man for a second. He was still asleep, and he might just be a type of work of art that Junhoe had never seen on display in the streets, and maybe he was thankful for that because it seemed all the more special now. Soft black hair that was kinda long, falling into his face slightly, and Junhoe didn't know how to describe his face. But it was nice. It was  _nice_ , and it was nice to the point that Junhoe wanted to throw up.

Something in his hair twitched, but Junhoe failed to notice in his hazy state of mind.

His neck wasn't marked and neither was his torso, which was a good sign. And then Junhoe looked down at himself and realised that  _he_  was still fully-clothed so...had anything actually happened? He kept on getting distracted though. So distracted by the guy's arms around him and how smooth his skin looked and his breath fanning across Junhoe's face- wait a second.

No, Junhoe hadn't been out clubbing last night, or anything like that. He had been at a shift. Until four. He had been working on his Christmas tree. He had got a dog at his doorstep. He had talked to his neighbour. He had gone to the store to buy groceries and-

_Oh my God, I got a dog at my doorstep. Oh_ **_yeah_ ** _. I should've stopped at that._

"Doggie!" Junhoe suddenly called out desperately, because he had never had a filter for his emotions when he was sleepy and it wasn't much better when he was awake either, and then the guy seized up and his eyes snapped open, making Junhoe recoil a little in surprise. But he couldn't even get a good look at his eyes (not that he needed nor wanted to) before the guy was sucking in a breath, jumping off the bed, and running out, leaving Junhoe blinking for a moment before he sat up, yelling a raspy, "HEY! DON'T LEAVE ME- no wait, what the fuck, I mean WHERE ARE YOU GOING?"

There wasn't a reply and Junhoe inwardly groaned, rolling off his bed in a much less impressive way than the guy had, before he stumbled off to the living room. He couldn't find a tall half-nude guy anywhere, no matter where he looked, but he found something else that took his attention in an instant. The gossamer dog, cowering under the dining table and Junhoe's heart made a million sighs of relief.

" _There_  you are," Junhoe murmured, walking over to the dog and kneeling down, not missing the way the dog shied away from him, pressing up against the table leg. "I'm sorry, did I scare you? Am I really ugly, is that it? Or too pretty? That makes sense. No, you're probably just not used to me...did that other guy scare you too? Gosh, where did he go, huh? Well, I guess it doesn't matter, I'm just glad you're okay."

It was kind of funny, seeing such a big dog with all the possibility to look as intimidating as those harsh police dogs looking so meek and confused, and Junhoe realised with a start that this was the first time that he was seeing the dog's eyes. Definitely, definitely just as pretty as the rest of it, and they were so soulful, so dark, so glittery.

"Are you hungry?" Junhoe asked, awkwardly reaching out a hand to pet the dog's head in hesitance and the dog looked at him in what seemed like surprise. Junhoe didn't know that dogs were capable of such human looking emotions. "I bought you some food, I sure hope you like it."

The dog perked up at the word food and Junhoe patted its small head one last time before going off to his room to retrieve the bag and the dog didn't stop following him once. It was actually such a wholesome feeling to be tailed by such an endearing being and it wasn't until the dog was digging into the food that Junhoe's thoughts finally trailed back to the man from before. How was he able to leave so quickly and easily? Maybe he was a master at that kind of thing, so he could break out of and into people's homes and cuddle with unsuspecting people because he was lonely then leave in the morning. That was both creepy and heartbreakingly sad. Maybe it wasn't that  _creepy_. A bit lame. Maybe cool? Very sad, though.

"Oh, we've got to go to the shelter today, doggie," Junhoe said as he walked further into the kitchen, ignoring the way his heart twanged gently when he said that and he was too busy turning on the kettle to see the way the dog froze. "I hope it's open. It probably will be, right? Not  _everyone_  would be off for holidays now..."

Junhoe hummed a little as he made himself tea, reaching up into the cupboard that held the tea, and a few serene moments passed before a raspy, sad voice was saying, "Please don't take me to the shelter."

Junhoe yelled in alarm, accidentally hitting his hand on the side of the cupboard before his knee jerked too which hit the washing machine and he yelped, clutching the knee with the hand which was hurt which made him cry out in pain even  _more_  and it was all such a mess that he had to physically  _force_  himself to calm down before looking to the side, then down.

The dog wasn't there anymore. But the guy was.

_So many swaps..._

The guy was sitting cross-legged next to the now empty bowl, looking up at Junhoe with wide eyes that he recognised. But then Junhoe, ever the detective, actually  _noticed_  something this time. He noticed the dark dog ears peeking out from the guy's head, one of them twitching gently. And he noticed the plush tail peeking out from behind him, wagging so minimally that it made Junhoe sad, somehow.

It all clicked. It all clicked, and Junhoe felt dumb and amazed and so conflicted all at once.

"You're a hybrid," Junhoe said, his voice sounding all croaky and he didn't even bother to clear his throat. The guy nodded, his ears drooping a little. "I've never seen a hybrid up close."

"We're going extinct, and we weren't heavily populated in the first place," the guy said, laughing dryly and the sound was like sandpaper, making Junhoe quickly fill up a glass of water like he was possessed before he cautiously held it out to the dog...human. Dog-human. Doman? Dogman. Oh gosh.

"Drink, drink."

The guy nodded excitedly, taking hold of the glass with both hands before downing it, some of it missing his mouth which Junhoe actually smiled at. This was  _strange_. This was too, too strange. Junhoe couldn't take him to the shelter now, they didn't accept hybrids and now Junhoe felt too interested to take any measures. He wanted to talk to this guy about  _everything_. He wanted to touch his hair and see if it was as soft as his fur. He wanted to know why when he transformed, he still had jeans on. And why he had long-ass legs. And nice-ass arms.

But like a curse, Junhoe was antisocial and awkward. He didn't do well with people, even dogmen. He could only bite his lip and pour himself his tea, curiosity and words niggling in the back of his mind but he couldn't satisfy either.

"Will you take me to the shelter?"

"I don't think so," Junhoe mumbled and the guy yapped happily, as a human, and wow Junhoe's heart was  _still_  being targeted. This wasn't fair. "But..."

Junhoe turned to look at the guy who looked up at him again in that sweet way, the human embodiment of what dogs always do, and then Junhoe was swallowing down his emotions as he held on tight to his tea and slowly lowered down onto the ground next to the guy who watched him, tilting his head to the side in confusion. Junhoe cleared his throat a little, feeling weak because he had never realised how amazing the sight of cute guys with dog ears  _was_. He knew there was a hype about it but he had never got it until now. "What's your name?"

The guy smiled and that was it, Junhoe's heart stopped. Oh, his  _teeth_. Crooked, adorable, why wasn't this guy a bunny hybrid? "Are we bonding?"

"I mean, I...I guess?"

"Jiwon."

"Huh?"

" _Ji-won_. My name," Jiwon said, his tail wagging wildly and it distracted Junhoe for too long, the happy quick swish of gossamer. "And you... _Jun-hwe_? Really hard. June!"

"Yeah, yeah, call me whatever you want," Junhoe said dismissively, not able to take his eyes off of the tail and it was stressing him out a little. "Wait...how did you know my name?"

"Secret," Jiwon said, tapping his nose teasingly and Junhoe frowned.

"Who  _brought_  you here?"

"Secret!"

" _Why_  are you here?" Junhoe asked fruitlessly, expecting another 'secret' but all he saw was Jiwon thinking hard, narrowing his eyes at the ceiling before he said slowly, "To...keep you company?"

"But I don't need company. I'm fine," Junhoe said in what he really thought was truth and Jiwon's ears drooped as well as his tail and just his entire body, making Junhoe feel like like the worst person ever. "No, no, I'm not trying to say that your company isn't nice but I just...I'm fine by myself. Who thought I needed company?"

"Secret."

"Wow," Junhoe deadpanned and Jiwon laughed like a clear bell and maybe Junhoe was inwardly swooning.

"So, will you keep me?" Jiwon asked, looking so hopeful yet sad that it broke Junhoe's heart. One of his ears were up now and his tail was being revived and goodness, the world was damned if he wasn't the sweetest beggar in the world.

"It's up in the air. We'll figure stuff out."

Jiwon lit up, his beam breaking the sun's records as he brought his tail forward and swept it under Junhoe's jaw, making the latter gasp a little without being able to help it. " _Thank_  you."

"It's okay..."

Jiwon went back to his water which he hadn't actually finished, but then Junhoe stopped him. "Do you want to, um, maybe, if- if you can, you can have some of my tea."

"I like tea," Jiwon said in awe, putting the glass down immediately and Junhoe smiled so naturally that he didn't even feel it as he handed the mug to Jiwon and watched the hybrid holding it like it was the most precious thing. He tipped it carefully down his throat, much more gently than he had the water and that's when Junhoe ever so slowly reached out and touched Jiwon's fluffy hair.

It  _was_  very soft. Soft in a different way to his fur. And once again, softer than Junhoe had imagined.

 

 

 

 

 

By the time Junhoe had finished eating his breakfast, Jiwon had gone back into dog form. Junhoe didn't go looking for him, instead taking a seat on the couch so he could watch something good while waiting for his friends to come over, but he squeaked when the dog was suddenly curling around his ankles, snuffling at his knee before pressing his fluffy face against Junhoe's shin.

"Oh, hello," Junhoe said, looking down and Jiwon looked up at him with his glittering eyes, standing up on his hind legs for a moment only to stumble and paw at Junhoe's shirt, and the human in the equation smiled, feeling the most amused he had done in a while. "What do you wanna do?"

The dog whined forlornly, looking down and Junhoe frowned before he got the incredible idea to slip his arms under the dog and hoist him up, holding him close to see if that was what he wanted. Jiwon yapped in what seemed like a happy way and Junhoe grinned. "It's like you're heavy but not  _that_  heavy. I wouldn't mind holding you forever, you're very very soft."

The dog bobbed his small head like he was nodding.

"What type of dog are you? Like, an Alsatian? Or German Shepherd? Or-" Junhoe paused when he saw that it looked like the dog was laughing at him, his mouth stretched and a jagged noise coming out of it and Junhoe felt a little defensive. "What's funny?!"

Before the dog could even think about answering, there was a yell of 'WE'RE HEREEEEE' from outside the door and Junhoe straightened up while Jiwon jolted in shock, burrowing closer to Junhoe who stroked his ear gently. "Don't you worry, they're my friends. I'll hold you, you're safe."

Junhoe got up, holding onto Jiwon tight as he walked over to the front of his house and slipped a hand out to open the door with much difficulty. But then he was face-to-face with smiling fairy and angel (not  _actually_  but maybe. Who knew? Junhoe couldn't tell the difference at this point) Jinhwan and Donghyuk who gasped at the sight of Jiwon. It all of a sudden made Junhoe feel protective, which was weird.

"There's the doggie," Donghyuk cooed but the dog shied away, looking up at Junhoe who looked back down at him before saying, "Uh...I think he might not want you guys to hold him? He might be okay with petting. Let me keep hold of him though."

"He's absolutely  _gorgeous_. What have the people who previously kept him been feeding him?" Jinhwan asked as they made their way back to the living room and Junhoe shrugged, plopping down on the floor as the dog stretched out across his lap, making Junhoe laugh a little.

"I have no idea."

"So you wanted some advice, right?" Donghyuk asked and Junhoe quickly nodded, grabbing a notebook and pen from the coffee table. "On what dogs like?"

"Yes!"

"Where did this dog  _come_  from, seriously?"

"I already told you, I don't know."

"I think he really likes you holding him. Look how pleased he looks," Jinhwan laughed and Junhoe saw the serene look on Jiwon's face as his tail swished back and forth gently and his sweet paws padded against Junhoe's knee. Junhoe suddenly wanted to flop his face into the devil thing's fur, the  _temptation_.

"Let me give you basics. Stroking, scratching behind the ears, rubbing the stomach, brushing its fur. That works for most but not all."

"M...hm," Junhoe nodded, quickly writing the stuff down while gently using Jiwon as a desk.

"If you pet him slowly, or like kind of like a soft massage? That'll calm him down if you need to do that."

"Got it."

"Remember to take him for walks."

Junhoe paused, wondering if he should write that down. Did he need to take a hybrid for a walk? Jiwon in his human form was  _toned_. He was even fitter than Junhoe was and gosh, remembering it was making Junhoe's throat dry up a little.

"Take trips with him, he'll love riding shotgun, I'm sure."

"Get him some toys!"

"Get him a  _really_  nice bed."

Jinhwan and Donghyuk ended up saying so much that Junhoe's head started spinning and his hand was cramping, and he knew he couldn't even do half of the things because of the fact that Jiwon was a hybrid. But the soft pretty dog on his lap deserved so much more than amateur looking after so Junhoe wanted to try his best to give him what he liked and be the best beginner owner that he could be. Besides, it was the Christmas season and if the only thing that Junhoe needed to love and cherish and look after during this time was a beautiful hybrid then he would do it  _right._

He was yawning by the time Jinhwan and Donghyuk were leaving, and Jiwon had scampered off somewhere. He really needed to get in some more sleep after his shift and he was going to take a nap on the couch but moments after he sat down, a familiar person was bounding in. "Those people were nice!"

Junhoe smiled gently, nodding as he rested his head against the back of the sofa. "They're not really. But sure."

Jiwon inched towards him, slowly, and Junhoe could feel it happening and his heart was beating hard against his chest even if he wasn't looking at the guy. Jiwon stopped right in front of the seat next to Junhoe before saying a small, "Can...I sit down?"

"Go for it," Junhoe mumbled and Jiwon grinned, jumping into the seat and that was when Junhoe finally turned to look at him and realised happily that he wasn't shirtless anymore. He had on a top that was dark with a white explosive yin yang symbol in the bottom left corner and Junhoe adored it, not to mention that Jiwon looked great in it. Black shirt, white skinny jeans...his legs were  _so_  long. Maybe not as long as Junhoe's but they were long enough and watching Jiwon stretch them out to rest his feet on the coffee table had Junhoe's heart beating fast again.

"Alsatian and German shepherd are the same thing, June," Jiwon said, his eyes twinkling and soft lips curled up in amusement and Junhoe stared at him, completely and utterly baffled.

"What?"

"Yeah. Same breed. German shepherd from Germany, Alsatian from Alsace-Lorraine, but no difference."

"I don't understand a word you're saying."

Jiwon laughed, his furry ears twitching and there wasn't  _anything_  cuter in existence. It really was like how he had laughed in dog form. "You're cute."

"Wha- no,  _you're_  the dog here!" Junhoe yelped, batting away the harmless compliment and Jiwon grinned, leaning forward and Junhoe had no idea what he was doing before Jiwon fiddled with an edge of a hole on Junhoe's ripped jeans, smoothing a finger over the skin showing and Junhoe had to bite down a squeak at the tingling feeling. He couldn't even fight it because Jiwon looked so enthralled and  _focused_ , caressing the skin gently as he slipped his fingers through the tear and Junhoe was really going to combust.

The candy canes smell was injecting his brain, too.

"You know, I have a complex," Jiwon said, his fingers moving to a different hole, wandering gently and soothingly and Junhoe was lost between finding it wondrously calming or downright evil. "I'm a pretty dog."

"You're the  _prettiest_  dog," Junhoe blurted out and it was worth it when Jiwon curled into himself a little, his smile growing shy and his cheeks tinting just a touch of pink.

"I'm a pretty dog so they thought I'd be pretty in this form but I'm not. I'm just average. Maybe it was a thing in genetics. I guess I'm a bad exception."

"Would they tell you that you weren't pretty? Or like...ugly?" Junhoe asked in horror and Jiwon nodded, dipping his head more as his strokes across Junhoe's skin got lighter, gentle and sad.

"Noooo," Junhoe said sadly but a bit jaggedly, not quite sure how else to react and Jiwon grinned at him which made everything seem better, the skies cleared, the sun shone, and there was  _no_  way that this hybrid was ugly. "They're...they're wrong."

"Really?"

"Yeah."

"Okay," Jiwon said, looking like he had been rejuvenated for a lifetime as he pulled back and Junhoe made a heavy inward sigh of relief since he wasn't being stroked anymore which had actually been such a mesmerisingly dangerous feeling, and Jiwon leant back against the sofa, staring straight ahead.

"Jiwon," Junhoe said, about to ask a question but then Jiwon lit up, staring at Junhoe with his eyes more glittery than ever and it made the former feel a little self-conscious. "What?"

"That's the first time you've said my  _name_ ," Jiwon clarified in awe, clasping his hands together and his tail wagged from behind him and Junhoe had to make the conclusion that that thing was evil too because it was so damn beautiful and distracting that Junhoe could never keep his eyes off of it once they were on it. "I like it."

"Do you want me to say it again?" Junhoe asked hesitantly but to be honest he was enjoying this, the hyperbolic reactions this hybrid gave at such menial things, it was adorable even if Junhoe wouldn't quite admit that to himself. Jiwon's eyes widened which clearly meant a yes so Junhoe entertained him with a soft, "Jiwon."

Jiwon made a noise that sounded like happy yowling as he took hold of a cushion and hugged it tightly, pushing himself even more into the sofa until Junhoe thought that he'd fall into some sot of crevice. Junhoe might have felt more tired than ever but Jiwon was making his smile muscles act up, and Junhoe couldn't fight the warmth curling around his heart.

"Can I ask you a question?"

"Mhm."

"Who's 'they'?"

"Oh," Jiwon mumbled, his ears drooping a little and Junhoe winced. He felt bad now. "Just the people who kept us. You know, made sure we were alive and stuff."

"Were they nice? I think I should send you back there."

Jiwon's eyes grew to the size of golf balls and Junhoe grimaced, averting his gaze to the side. "Don't  _look_  at me like that like I've killed your aunt, I'm sure they weren't all bad, right? They'd definitely treat you better than I would, that's what I'm thinking...and, I don't know if I can deal with this, you know? I've never had a pet. I don't want to do something wrong."

"You're doing fine," Jiwon said, inching a little closer and Junhoe gulped when Jiwon's tail slowly swished across his thigh over and over, almost like Jiwon was trying to soothe him. Such a wicked tail. "And I'm not  _completely_  a pet. I'm human too! In a way. I can do stuff, if you need me to do stuff."

"Jiwon..."

"Don't say my name like  _that_ ," Jiwon frowned and Junhoe shook his head, sighing gently as he closed his eyes.

"I need to sleep, I had work last night...we can talk about stuff later, yeah?"

Jiwon's ears twitched sadly before they drooped again but he only nodded, and Junhoe was very close to falling into slumber as he distantly heard Jiwon get up and stalk off to wherever. So Junhoe stretched out across the sofa, mumbling something about fur and names as he loosely hugged a cushion, and he didn't notice the blanket that someone draped over him snugly nor the little laugh when Junhoe slurred 'fur is sooooooft', and then the someone was gone but Junhoe didn't really care. He was dreaming about a particular soft pretty dog again, as well as the sweet human attached to it.

 

 

 

 

 

Junhoe and Jiwon didn't end up talking. For some reason, it seemed like Jiwon was hiding from him, and as work stacked up the closer it got to Christmas, Junhoe found himself having to leave the hybrid alone a lot meaning they couldn't bond, they couldn't talk, and Jiwon was actually the best thing who apparently knew how to cook according to all the food he left for Junhoe and he cleaned while Junhoe was gone, he  _cleaned_ , and that was a Christmas miracle. But Jiwon was most times nowhere to be seen and Junhoe was always too mentally tired to go look for him, so he'd just leave Jiwon stuff he bought while he was out and then sleep, or work, or watch tv. It made him upset, to be honest. He thought Jiwon liked him. He thought they  _had_  something.

Junhoe was certain of it, he'd send Jiwon away before Christmas was over, into better hands. So Jiwon could end up with someone he'd actually like for the holiday.

There was a day where Junhoe had slept far longer than he had expected. He woke up with a dull ache in his head and when he saw the time, it said one am. Holy  _shit_ , he had actually slept for...fourteen hours? Oh gosh. Thank God he didn't have work tonight or he'd be done for, that was for sure. He took out his phone, lying on his chest as he kicked his legs gently in the blanket and hummed sleepily, noticing that he had got a text from one of the companies he was affiliated with.

**? **   
_Can we get that song in as quickly as possible please? We're on a tight schedule Junhoe I hope you know_

Junhoe grumbled under his breath, finally kicking himself out of the blanket as he dragged his weary body to the dining table, rubbing at his eyes as he pulled his laptop towards him and opened it up. Song, music, lyrics, lyrics...had Junhoe even started the lyrics? He couldn't remember. His stomach was rumbling and he felt weak and disoriented but he  _knew_  he needed to do this and he couldn't stall any longer.

_Your words lie sweet on my heart like a mantra,_   
_Strum the strings and we'll have ourselves an anthem._

Sucky generalistic stuff. The kind of things music 'needed' these days.

He froze when he heard the sound of soft footsteps, his entire body freezing as he suddenly thought to himself 'thiEF' but there was no black-clad human, bad or good, in his home, there was just a dark-furred beauty rubbing against his ankle. Junhoe sighed in relief, still hazily tired as he picked the dog up, letting him sit in his lap as he shoved his face into his neck, embracing him loosely. God, he was so  _soft_  and warm and Junhoe was getting so high off of the candy canes smell that he just wanted to savour forever.

"Why are you awake, huh?"

The dog shrugged.

"You gonna give me some lyrics, Ji?" Junhoe asked tiredly, gesturing to his laptop and the dog whined from the back of his throat which he seemed to do a lot and Junhoe nodded, snuggling into him again. "That's okay. You're doing enough anyway."

Jiwon turned around, his sweet paws padding over Junhoe's legs in the most gentle way and then he was facing Junhoe who smiled fondly, trying hard to remember something that Donghyuk and Jinhwan had said and he settled with sliding his hands up Jiwon's fur and behind his ears, scratching gently in what he hoped was an okay way and it was elating when Jiwon yapped, smiling in that doggily jagged and adorable way before he stuck out his tongue and licked Junhoe's face excitedly, making Junhoe yelp and lean away, wrinkling his nose and the dog seemed to frown. Then he licked Junhoe's face again but much much gentler and less sloppily, like a 'sorry for licking you, here's an apologetic lick' and Junhoe rolled his eyes, muttering, "I can't be mad at you," as he pressed a kiss into Jiwon's coat which was seriously the softest thing in the world.

"I've missed you," Junhoe mumbled, kissing Jiwon's neck again and the dog looked at him in confusion, one ear up and one down. "Do you hate me?"

The dog shook his head, pressing up against Junhoe who softened up into gooey marshmallow, feeling so happy. "That's good. Please let us talk one day, I...I'm really bad at talking, and you're super hot as a human which makes it worse but we need to figure stuff out."

Junhoe hadn't quite realised that human Jiwon would remember this conversation.

"Don't shut me out. I'm trying."

Jiwon slowly slinked away from Junhoe who let him go, scratching his ears one last time before placing him back on the ground, morosely putting his attention back to his lyrics as the dog ran off to wherever he liked to go.

_Don't walk away, I know love is timeless,_   
_But I need you now, my song's not finished._

Junhoe worked on it for a while, gradually getting more and more awake as he switched his head to the mindset of 'WRITE AND ONLY WRITE, YOU FUCKER' and it was  _actually_  getting him somewhere, all (nearly all) the stars were aligning in Junhoe's weary mind and the last star was getting a little lost, somewhere lower down but it started getting closer when someone familiar placed a hand down on the table, right beside the laptop.

"I didn't know you liked me that much."

Junhoe blinked, trying very hard to keep his cool as he didn't take his eyes off of the screen. "Well, okay. Your loss."

"You're right, I didn't want to talk," Jiwon sighed, sitting down in the chair next to Junhoe and his tail brushed Junhoe's arm, soft and sorry. "I was scared. I don't want to go."

"Then you could've  _told_  me that. Don't avoid me and make me feel like a terrible person."

"I thought you were going to send me away because you didn't like me."

"I was going to send you away because I thought that  _you_  didn't like  _me_ ," Junhoe said in disbelief, finally turning his head to look at Jiwon who was staring at him with those eyes which were just as soulful in human form, beautifully shining and Junhoe hated the way they captured him in all sorts of emotions he didn't want. "You're great. You're...really...quite great. Ugh, I don't know how to compliment people but just take my word for it, okay?"

"You  _do_  know how to compliment. You called me hot," Jiwon pointed out with a grin on his face that Junhoe had missed quite a bit but he couldn't think of that when he was too busy burning up. "I'm flattered. Since, it's from the most beautiful person ever."

Junhoe was confused. "What?"

" _You_ ," Jiwon murmured, leaning forward to stare straight into Junhoe's eyes, placing a hand on the armrest of the latter's chair which was between them and Junhoe was certain for a moment that he couldn't breathe, either that or he was holding his breath, and Jiwon's cute ears were twitching and his eyes were glittering and his scent was enchanting and Junhoe felt like  _fainting_ , his heart stammering desperately. "You are very pretty. So pretty that you make me scared sometimes. You're like an angel...I don't want to go back."

"Okay," Junhoe whispered without thinking, blinking very hard and Jiwon blinked back before he beamed, his tail moving back and forth at the speed of light and Junhoe was blinded. "I won't...I won't make you go. But do go sleep, Jiwon."

Jiwon seemed to melt at the sound of his own name, his ears flopping over his head in the sweetest way before he frowned a little. "I'm not sleepy."

"It's one am."

"But you're not sleeping."

"I just slept for a kabajillion hours, that's why."

"Me too. Let's  _not_  sleep, together!"

"Wow..."

"You can cuddle me if that'll make you feel better," Jiwon asked with a massive, innocent-looking smile and Junhoe almost threw his laptop at the wall.

"Why the  _hell_  would I-"

"You did it when I was a dog! You do know that I'm the same specimen either form, right, so what's the difference?"

_Well, the difference is that I'm very gay and you're really cute and I haven't cuddled with someone in like, five years?! Except that time when we first met but that's_ **_different_ ** _, okay, dear God- oh shit, get that demon thing AWAY from me—_

But the wicked tail was already wrapping around Junhoe's arm, the tip of it caressing Junhoe's chin gently and it made his eyes flutter shut because it was  _so_  soft and delicate, it broke down all his defences and it honestly  _had_  to be some kind of work of the devil. Jiwon smiled gently, patting Junhoe's cheek with his tail before pulling it back. "You still don't want to cuddle?"

"Yes, I still don't want to cuddle!" Junhoe yelped in amazement at the bold question and Jiwon shrugged, as if to say a smug 'I tried'. Junhoe inwardly simmered, narrowing his eyes as he grumbled under his breath about annoying dogmen and how he wished the word 'cuddle' didn't exist but then Jiwon was poking his arm gently.

"I want to show you something."

Junhoe looked at Jiwon curiously, about to say a blatant 'no, I'm busy' but Jiwon looked so solemn and anticipating as he waited for Junhoe's response, and Junhoe wanted to just stare at his face forever but he couldn't so he chose the next best thing. "Show me, then."

Jiwon's ears perked up as he stood up, leaving and waving a hand to gesture for Junhoe to follow him, so he did. It seemed like Jiwon was leading him to the living room and Junhoe wondered what could possibly be there because he had only been sleeping there about an hour ago—but he didn't even  _need_  to step in to be punched with what could only be described as the smell of Christmas: candy canes, hot spice, chocolate, a million other things that got too muddled up in Junhoe's brain. And then Jiwon was cautiously curling a hand around his wrist, smiling at Junhoe who stared back at him in curious confusion, and Jiwon threw open the door and pulled Junhoe inside.

_Holy dogmen on crackers._

It looked like Santa Claus and all his elves had thrown up in there and somehow made it look beautiful. In other words, his living room had become a sickeningly sweet Christmas wonderland and Junhoe's brain  _hurt._

Beautiful paper snowflakes were hanging from the ceiling or stuck up on walls, as well as red and green bows of all shapes and sizes. The tree still had all of Junhoe's decorations which was sweet but it had even  _more_  now too, the tree must be feeling so utterly lavished, and lights of so many colours including ones that Junhoe didn't even know existed were decorating the walls and lighting up the whole place from head to toe. And on the mantelpiece, small soaring reindeers and smiley snowmen were taking their dwelling, and all in all, Junhoe felt like he had never seen such festivity in all of the Christmases he had lived through added  _up._

"Did you buy all of this?" Junhoe asked in awe, wondering how the hell the hybrid even had  _money_  and Jiwon blinked, going slack-jawed for a long moment before he said an uncertain, "Yeeees...?"

Junhoe blinked at him, confused because his gut didn't believe Jiwon even though that was obviously the only option, how  _else_  could he have got any of this? It was only logical. Obviously.

"I put it up the instant you left the room."

"Wait, what? I didn't see you come in...and this would have taken you  _way_  longer than an hour."

Jiwon shrugged, looking none the wiser before he brightened up and pointed at something at the ceiling. "There! Look! I put up mistletoe."

Junhoe blinked, horrified for a split-second. "Say you're kidding..."

"Mistletoe's a tradition," Jiwon said, taking a step closer to Junhoe, his tail swishing side to side very gently and it was hypnotising, suddenly rendering Junhoe very calm as he slowly rested a hand on Jiwon's hip, the close proximity making his head spin but he didn't want to push Jiwon away. Even when Jiwon took a step closer, Junhoe didn't move, his breath only hitched when Jiwon brought his tail forward to stroke Junhoe's side ever-so-gently.

"T-Then, I'll guess we have to make sure we never step under there together."

"I guess so."

"Jiwon," Junhoe murmured softly, not realising that he was the one leaning closer now as his fingers flattened out against Jiwon's hip, sliding across the clothed expanse gently just in an act of wanting to move and Jiwon's smooth skin started reddening, just enough to make his cheeks a soft rose colour and Junhoe felt warm.

"Yeah?"

"Why do you always smell like candy canes?"

Jiwon only had to move his head a tiny bit to have his lips right next to Junhoe's ear, making the latter shiver, and then Jiwon was whispering, "Secret," before running off and Junhoe groaned, tearing after him.

 

 

 

 

 

Junhoe had made a split-second decision to take Jiwon shopping.

He had asked Jiwon off the bat when they ate breakfast together (for the first time ever, may I add) and Jiwon quickly nodded. "I'd love to!"

"So, as a dog or this?"

"As a dog," Jiwon said wistfully, poking at his eggs. "People will stare at me if not. You know hybrids aren't common."

"I'd protect you. I'd stare even  _harder_  at anyone who stares at you."

"It's not that I need protecting, it's just tiring," Jiwon sighed and Junhoe nodded since that was understandable. "And I'm not a German shepherd, Junhoe. They're bigger than I am."

Junhoe blinked at the non-sequitur. "Oh...really? Oh. Sorry. Well, then, what...are you?"

Jiwon furrowed his eyebrows. "I don't think I know."

"You don't think you know?"

"I don't think I know."

Junhoe had Jiwon (dog Jiwon) in his arms as he left the house, making sure to close every curtain and only leave one light on so burglars will still think someone was in, before he was walking down the street. Jiwon was particularly energetic today, pawing relentlessly at Junhoe's shirt which made Junhoe grin as he hugged the dog to his neck, looking both ways before crossing the road. "You'll be good, right?"

The dog barked and Junhoe felt amazed because he swore that was the first time he had ever heard him  _bark_. He looked behind him to see a stray cat with scary eyes, grey and fluffed up like a dirty snowball and Junhoe blinked at it, tilting his head to the side before Jiwon barked again, almost jumping out of Junhoe's hold and Junhoe shushed him, holding him back in place while kissing his coat. He had got the feeling that Jiwon liked it when he did that, and Junhoe liked doing it so it was all good. "It's okay, it's okay. Let's just get going, yeah?"

Jiwon whined in what seemed like reluctant agreement, slowly settling his head on Junhoe's shoulder and Junhoe took that as a sign to keep moving, his hand stroking down the dog's back. "Look, we're nearly there. The high street's buzzing today, it's not surprising. That's why I'm holding you, by the way. So you won't get lost."

Jiwon turned his head to look at what Junhoe was talking about, yapping happily when he saw all of the Christmas lights on the stores and just in general, as well as all of the festive decoration that always took over the entire world at this time. Junhoe held on tight to his dog as he tried to get through the crowd, thanking anyone who told him that Jiwon was pretty, always checking Jiwon's reaction when someone asked if they could pet him (it was usually positive), and being  _very_  careful about where to place the dog when he was taking things to buy which he needed his arms to do. It was mostly stuff on offer that he'd buy, and Jiwon was very good at sniffing out sales, always pointing his small paw at something that had been reduced and Junhoe would grin at him, cuddling him as a reward before placing him onto the ground.

Buying the dog stuff was hard, but he had Jinhwan and Donghyuk's list in his hands as well as more advice they had given him, and he managed to get a bed that Jiwon seemed to like as well as a few toys that he'd always give to Jiwon first to test out. "You like that one?"

After inspecting, Jiwon would squeeze the toy if yes, or huddle into Junhoe if no, and Junhoe was very proud when they left the stores with a total of three toys.

"Ugh, I never got to ask him what he wanted," Junhoe sighed, annoyed as he hit himself on the head. He snapped his fingers at Jiwon who was staring, completely enthralled, at a decorative fish tank but he turned his head when he heard the snap. Junhoe was about to ask him if he could turn back into his other form before inwardly groaning because Jiwon didn't want to do that, did he? The staring...

Junhoe looked around, scratching his head. This was a clothes store meaning there weren't that many places of privacy- wait! The fitting rooms!

Junhoe bent down to scoop Jiwon up in his arms, ignoring the dog's startled yelp as he power-walked over to the closest fitting room he could find, holding onto the clothes he already had as a decoy while smiling as charmingly as he could at the clerk there. "Hi."

"Hello," the clerk replied, raising an eyebrow and when Junhoe saw the dog raising an eyebrow back (well not really an eyebrow, just that marked ridge above his eye), he almost choked from holding back his laughter. "Uh...you gonna take him in there with you?"

"Yeah...um, dogs make mischief so I wanna keep him as close as possible, you know?" Junhoe replied, laughing nervously and the clerk shrugged to say what seemed like 'fair enough' as she handed Junhoe a door card and Junhoe thanked her before slipping away.

"Alright, there we go," Junhoe said triumphantly as he sat down on a small bench thingy inside his allocated fitting room, pushing his clothes to the side and resting the dog on his lap who blinked up at him, his ears folding over and flapping and it was like some sort of mind game that had Junhoe intrigued for a second. "U-Uh, Ji, uh, can you...you know."

Jiwon tilted his head to the side innocently as if to say, 'no, sir, no I do not know, please enlighten me' and Junhoe sighed, trying to get himself together. "Can you turn back into your other form? Please? Just so I can ask you a question, but if you don't want to then it's fine."

The dog made an 'o' shape with his mouth which made Junhoe laugh gently before Jiwon was pointing at Junhoe's eyes then pushing down. Junhoe blinked, very bewildered. "What?"

Jiwon gently tapped a paw just above Junhoe's eye, then pulled the paw down a little and Junhoe nodded as he seemed to have got it. "Close my eyes, right? Right? Ohhh okay, okay I will. You sure you don't want me to leave? No? Okay. Yep. I will. I'm doing it, stop tapping me! Okay, whenever you're ready. Oh do you want me to stop talki- okay."

Junhoe kept his eyes squeezed shut, closing his mouth too but he frowned when he realised that the dog wasn't getting off of him or anything. And he was about to start speaking again until he felt it, it was so subtle, but the fur disappeared and the weight grew heavier as Junhoe gasped and locked his arms around Jiwon's waist, pulling him closer. "Holy mother geese on a cracker, dude,  _don't_...that was terrifying!"

"Sorry," Jiwon whispered amusedly and Junhoe cracked an eye open, his heart stuttering when he saw that Jiwon was so close, again, their noses almost brushing at this point. Junhoe breathed out shakily as Jiwon wrapped his arms around Junhoe's neck, his tail swishing back and forth and that was when Junhoe noticed that Jiwon's clothes had changed. Usually the guy only had one outfit each day but it was different to the morning, it was a sleeveless white hoodie and his jeans were ripped, making Junhoe's eyes widen. Jiwon's long-ass legs and nice-ass arms were both on show and Junhoe didn't  _appreciate_  how breathless it was making him. "You wanted to ask me?"

"Just...what do you want for Christmas?" Junhoe asked in a slightly choked up voice and Jiwon lit up brighter than Junhoe had  _ever_  seen him light up, the tips of his ears rising to the ceiling and his amazing eyes twinkling with joy. Junhoe felt so weak.

"You're really going to get me a present?"

"Of course I am. It'll complete the winter wonderland you made for us."

"You're so sweet," Jiwon breathed out, his eyes looking more glassy than before and Junhoe felt worried as he brushed Jiwon's soft hair out of his eyes. "I've already got my present, June, finding a home was my present."

"Oh come  _on_ , that's not good enough," Junhoe snorted but Jiwon nodded in retaliation.

"It is, it really is."

"Look at me, no it isn't. I'm gonna buy you a great present and you're gonna tell me what you want right no-"

" _Jun-hwe_ ," Jiwon said firmly, saying Junhoe's full name in the most adorably yet honestly intimidatingly angry way ever as he placed his hands on either side of Junhoe's face, making the latter heat up impeccably. "You are enough. You are great. You are beautiful. You are lovely. I  _promise_. I like you a lot. So it's fine."

" _You're_  the beautiful one," Junhoe mumbled desolately, his heart squeezing painfully in all sorts of ways like some kind of yoga move gone wrong, and Jiwon's eyes sparkled again as his whole self softened, his tail lowering to stroke Junhoe's thigh reassuringly.

"Can I give you a tiny, tiny present before we leave this fitting room thing?"

Junhoe raised his gaze in surprise but nodded, wanting Jiwon to go ahead as he wondered what on earth it could be. But he shouldn't have overthought it because it wasn't materialistic, it wasn't anything Jiwon could have bought. He just leant forward and pressed his lips gently to Junhoe's, caressing the latter's face with his thumbs and Junhoe's heart swelled, his body melting into the softness and his new favourite smell of candy canes, before Jiwon pulled away.

"Best present... _ever_ ," Junhoe mumbled, in an outright daze as his head spun and his lips tingled and his legs would have definitely given out if he wasn't sitting down and Jiwon laughed brightly.

"Maybe it  _would_  be okay if we walked under the mistletoe."

"It definitely would be."

 

 

 

 

 

Junhoe didn't know how he had found himself here, his lips connected to Jiwon's gently as they lay on the couch, Jiwon's arms around him and it reminded him of how it had felt when they had slept together that one time and Jiwon's arms had seemed all kinds of nice.

Jiwon had to be one of the most distracting beings in the world. One second, Junhoe was opening the door after just coming home from work, hoping for solitude and sleep, and the next they were here. Junhoe pressing Jiwon up against the back of the sofa, kissing him when he  _wasn't_  in the form of a dog, and Jiwon definitely seemed to like it.

Every second made Junhoe's heart swell, every soft touch, every gentle lick, every tender caress, it made him closer and closer to exploding because this had to be the best, most nerve-wracking feeling he had ever felt. Jiwon's lips were the softest thing since his fur and Junhoe couldn't possibly think about kissing them too hard and bruising them, besides, it wasn't even like Junhoe was completely in control anyway since whenever Jiwon pressed up to kiss him deeper or tug him closer, Junhoe's mind shot even higher up in the clouds. He was falling apart, ultimately, through candied kisses and canes of sweetness.

Jiwon was a licker, which actually made a lot of sense. He'd lick Junhoe's lips, he'd lick his mouth, and it was weirdly nice in an affectionate way. That was until Jiwon licked Junhoe's nose and the latter burst into laughter, giggling gently as he pressed their lips together another time. "Gosh, you're a cutie."

"So are you," Jiwon smiled, his tail brushing along Junhoe's waist as he leant in to kiss up Junhoe's neck, sucking gently and Junhoe sighed, smoothing his hand down Jiwon's side. He moaned quietly as the hybrid pressed slow pecks to his jaw, licking up some sweat, and Junhoe held onto him tighter.

"You deserve so much more than me, you know," Junhoe murmured hazily. "I'm always just like...why are you here? With  _me_? You see, you see, I  _suck_. I don't give tips, and...I don't say hi back to people who say hi to me, and I don't talk to my friends half the time! I find them annoying - see! I'm a  _sinner_. Doggone it. Is that the saying? I don't know anything. I'm quite dumb. They're nice, though. Like, my friends. Are nice. And I'm annoying too. You're not, you're like  _wow_. Whatever I did to be able to get you...it must have been  _amaaaazing_."

Jiwon grinned at him in his gently happy way, pecking Junhoe's overworking lips and Junhoe closed his eyes, flopping his head onto Jiwon's shoulder.

"You should sleep, June. Sorry for keeping you up."

Junhoe shook his head, mumbling a stark but sleepy 'nonsense' as he caressed Jiwon's cheek with the back of his hand, pulling the guy into another kiss that was all delicate and mellow and it made Junhoe want to either fall asleep even more or never stop kissing Jiwon.

"I wanna know where you came from. I wanna know everything about you," Junhoe whined quietly as Jiwon pushed him down onto his back, about to leave but Junhoe wrapped his arms around the hybrid's waist, not letting him go. "I don't wanna look at you and think you're like a stranger. You're one of my favouritest people in the  _world_  right now."

"But I'm a hybrid."

"You're one of my favouritest beings in the  _world_  right now."

"Favouritest isn't a word."

"You're one of my most favourite beings in the  _world_  right now."

Jiwon's dog ears pointed up to the sky again, twitching happily and Junhoe reached out a hand to scratch behind them which was something he had never done to human Jiwon before and it was  _amazing_  - Jiwon flattened against him in an instant, his eyes closing as a soft whine exactly like his dog form's left his mouth and Junhoe's heart might have just shattered to pieces because of something  _good_. When did that ever happen?! "You're so fucking adorable, you know that,  _a-d-o-r-a_ -"

"June."

"-ble," Junhoe finished quietly, letting his hand trail down to the back of Jiwon's neck. "What? Am I hurting you?"

"Noooo, no! No, no, never. I just have, question," Jiwon muttered, trailing off at the end and Junhoe blinked in amazement.

" _You_  have a question?!" Junhoe held out his arms like a gangster. "I'm an open book, hit me."

"Why do you work so much?"

Junhoe pouted. "That's boring."

"But I'm curious," Jiwon urged, tapping Junhoe's chest softly with his fists. "You're gone so much. It's sad."

"Do you miss me?" Junhoe asked with wide eyes, sobering up a little as his heart started pummelling against his chest all over again, just like it usually did around Jiwon. He wondered if Jiwon could feel it happening with his sweet fists. "Is that it?"

Jiwon slowly nodded, morosely resting his head on Junhoe's chest as he mumbled a small, "Yeah."

"I...w-wow. I only got all the shifts because I feel bored and lonely being here, and I've got like three jobs. I can drop one, though, once the month's up. I've got enough money now that I think about it, I mean I can afford a whole  _house_ , and I've got you so I'm not lonely anymore. Huh. When did either of those things happen?"

Jiwon shrugged with a smile, an innocent 'I don't know' and he started getting too cute, to the point that Junhoe's throat started drying up and he tried to shoo Jiwon away a little. "I'mma sleep now, go...go be dogman..."

"Happy Christmas Eve," Jiwon whispered, pressing something sweet to Junhoe's lips and Junhoe could taste mint, and candy. Candy cane. Where did Jiwon get a candy cane from (despite the fact that he was a personifi- ahem,  _hybridification_  of one)? "Don't move."

"You really think I'm gonna?" Junhoe slurred, moving his face to the side and his chest felt so much more free when Jiwon rolled off of him, landing probably perfectly onto the ground before walking off. Junhoe rested and it was such a sweet feeling, it always was, but a sweeter feeling? Having the prettiest dog ever carefully climb onto him, struggling a bit before getting there and snuggling into Junhoe's chest. Junhoe smiled in his half-asleep state, hugging his dog tightly. "Hey, Ji."

Jiwon yapped quietly, licking Junhoe's cheek as an endearment and Junhoe laughed in his mind, too tired to do it out loud as he fell into dreamland.

 

 

 

 

 

Junhoe's Christmas Day didn't start off that nicely. It was a day where he had yet another shift and he slept through midnight because he was so exhausted, then he had to wake up at three am to go. He hadn't been able to find Jiwon in time to kiss his gorgeous coat in dog form or his sweet lips in human form which made him downright depressed for a second but he ended up composing himself because he couldn't go around getting sad on the job.

There were tons of wishes on the group chat and he managed to sneak one in before it got too late, and when he finally arrived home at nine am, he found a pink note pinned to his door, smelling of some kind of nice flower with neat handwriting on it.

_Dear neighbour,_

_I figured you weren't in since your car's gone, but merry Christmas! I hope your dog's faring you well and that you both have lots of cheer and joy and that all your wishes come trueee!_

_Happy holidays, and a happy new year too ^^_

_Best wishes,_   
_your neighbour, Song Yunhyeong_

Junhoe smiled, mentally pinning down to thank him later because this was so sweet, seeing as they had only spoken a few times over the fence after the first time and Jiwon (appearing to him as a dog only) seemed to have taken a liking to him, in fact it was more like  _Yunhyeong_  was shier than Jiwon had been. It was quite funny.

His house was quiet as he walked in, so immensely quiet that it was unsettling. He looked at every corner, really hoping that Jiwon wouldn't come out and jumpscare him because Junhoe might actually die. But he managed to make it to the sofa, lying down with a heavy sigh before his dog padded in nonchalantly with tinsel around his small front legs and askew reindeer ears on his head. Junhoe's eyes widened at the sight of him before he laughed, watching Jiwon scrabble at the side of the sofa for a moment before he picked the dog up and laid him on his chest, grinning elatedly as Jiwon's soft paws rested on his shoulders.

"Hello," Junhoe murmured as gently as he could with his tired, raspy voice, rubbing his nose against Jiwon's before shoving his face into the hybrid's overwhelmingly soft fur. Today more than  _ever_  was he smelling like candy canes, filling Junhoe's nostrils and his mind and it was honestly Junhoe's drug to make him all kinds of happy. Jiwon yapped, settling his chin on Junhoe's chest and Junhoe scratched behind his ears, not realising how fond his eyes were as he looked at the dark beauty. Then Jiwon was patting Junhoe's chest and the elder hoisted him up into the air, laughing loudly as the dog yelped excitedly, moving his sweet legs like he was running even though he was just staying in place and Junhoe shook his head in amazement as he pressed a fierce kiss into Jiwon's coat. "My pretty baby, huh?"

Jiwon made a sound that seemed akin to a purr, a  _purr_ , and Junhoe nodded, grinning. "I knew you'd like that."

Junhoe played with Jiwon's paws for a while, drowning his dog's face in kisses before leaning back and simply stroking down Jiwon's coat lazily. "I love you when you're a dog, you know I do, you're the most precious thing but I guess I kind of wished you'd be in your other form...mostly just so we could exchange wishes and talk and stuff. But ignore that, it's fine. You know I've done some research and you remind me of an American Eskimo! But well, you're not quite so fluffed up and you're also black instead of white...but I think we're getting somewhere!"

The dog smiled in his whimsical way, before he gestured to himself and jumped off of Junhoe, running off into his bedroom. Junhoe sat up, thinking for a moment before figuring that that meant that Jiwon was going to change forms, and so Junhoe got up and went to make two cups of tea, lacing them sparsely with cinnamon. He was focusing very hard on trying to make it the best tea he had ever  _made_  (it would be definitely hard to top off May 2013 when he thought he was making tea for the President but that was only a lie that his sister made up (apparently she 'didn't think that Junhoe would be dumb enough to believe it') yet Junhoe would try!), but then someone was tapping his shoulder, and candy canes were back to rejuvenate his happy sense.

"Hey," Junhoe said, not turning around at first before he was tapped again and he rolled his eyes, deciding to turn and his insides were only left warming as Jiwon still had the reindeer ears on, still askew, and he was holding up two candy canes in front of his face in the way that they would shape a heart. Oh Christ, this wasn't fair to Junhoe's  _own_  heart anymore.

"For you," Jiwon said, holding them out a bit more and Junhoe took them mostly so he could just see Jiwon's face and it was as great as ever. This outfit had to be Junhoe's favourite one of the ones he had seen Jiwon in, golden tinsel around his wrists and a green cut-off crop top with a small Christmas tree embroidered in the corner paired with red puffy trousers, and he looked like the most beautiful festive hipster.

"You look amazing," Junhoe managed to get out in a rush of messy words, too in love to be able to sound coherent and Jiwon beamed proudly, inching closer.

"Really?"

"Mhm."

"Thank you."

"Do you choose your own clothes?"

"I do."

"From where?"

"A closet in the sky," Jiwon said completely seriously and Junhoe burst into laughter, not stopping until he noticed Jiwon's raised eyebrowed gaze.

"Wait a second, do you  _actually_ -"

"Yeah! Or at least, that's what I call it. I just think what I want to wear and then it comes on me," Jiwon said, nodding up at the ceiling. "The sky grants my wishes."

"Oh," Junhoe said, blinking, blank-minded, not really sure about what else he could say. He was mind-boggled. Bamboozled. So he just turned around and unwrapped the two candy canes, sticking them inside each cup of tea before turning around and holding out a mug to Jiwon who lit up in amazement, his ears flopping back and forth and his tail wagging excitedly. "Here you go."

"Thank you," Jiwon replied, smiling as he stirred the tea with the candy cane. Junhoe stared at him for a second, not even really realising that he was, and Jiwon was about to take a sip of his tea before he saw Junhoe staring and stopped. Junhoe didn't look away, even if he felt a bit shy now but then his emotions and heart rate sky-rocketed to meet Jiwon's closet as Jiwon sidled up to him and kissed his lips. The tenderness, the atmosphere, the taste, and Jiwon  _lingered_  and Junhoe's heart was in his mouth for that entire three seconds or two or five or whatever the hell it was.

"No, thank  _you_ ," Junhoe mumbled breathily after Jiwon was done and the hybrid laughed in merriment, slipping away as he drank his tea and Junhoe floated after him in a dreamy state. Jiwon paused then, about to call Junhoe before lighting up when he saw that the guy was following him and rushed over to take his hand. Junhoe couldn't help but blush. So much  _intimacy_. This was torture. Softcore torture. Not very painful torture. Just stressful torture. Because Junhoe was a wuss.

"Sit down," Jiwon said, pointing to the floor once they reached the living room and Junhoe blinked, looking around at all the sofa available but he followed heed and sat on the floor next to the Christmas tree, making himself comfortable. Jiwon seemed to be looking for something through all the decorations that Junhoe was falling in love with again, before he raised a hand that held a slip of paper. "Aha!"

"Aha?" Junhoe repeated warily and Jiwon nodded as he pulled himself out of the crevice he was looking in before he scooted over to Junhoe, sitting opposite him. Suddenly it seemed like they were two kids in the playground, playing hand games. Junhoe actually held out his hands for a second to do that before Jiwon was talking and Junhoe pouted subtly.

"Read this," Jiwon said, pushing the paper into Junhoe's hands. "And remember."

Junhoe furrowed his eyebrows, staring at the paper that looked worn-out. "You what...?"

"Read."

So Junhoe  _did_  read, he turned the piece of paper over and saw messy handwriting that he recognised.

_Dear Santa,_

_Hello! How are you? That's great, if the answer was good. If not, oh no! Don't be sad! You're Santa! Jolliness and mince pies and ho ho ho and yay!_

_My friends say I'm too old to write to you. I hit them over the head. I still want things! They're stupid._

_I know that I don't really try my best to be a nice guy but I really hope I'm on the nice list this year. The thing is...I kinda get lonely. Just kinda! But quite kinda. I know this could be a tough ask but, could I please have a dog? Pleeeeease? Any type of dog is fine, I'm not picky. I just want one to cuddle and talk to and I'm too shy to ask my parents...you see, I'm kind of a tough guy. Yeahhh I'm tough, I'm gangster , but I have a soft heart inside! Hell yeah._

_I think I'll always want a dog. I just want company, you know? They're really sweet. Or well not all of them...can I reiterate my wish? I just want a really sweet dog who I can talk to and cuddle. Yeah, in one sentence, that._

_Have a nice day, Santa! And year, even though I don't know what you do all year but I'm sure it's great!_

_From, Koo Junhoe_

"I hate this. I hate this so much," Junhoe said, anger curling in his chest and Jiwon cackled.

"Yeah, twelve-year-old you-"

"Was cringy as  _fuck_ , like ew!"

"Aren't all twelve-year-olds?"

"That's arguable."

"Do you get it, though?" Jiwon said, tapping on the piece of paper which made Junhoe look up at him, into his soft glittering eyes, and it all clicked and all kinds of puzzle pieces started to fit together. "You do, right?"

"You're my dog," Junhoe murmured in awe, reaching out to stroke Jiwon's ear and Jiwon bowed his head shyly, letting him. "But why did you come so la-"

**_'I'm deeply sorry this took so long, but letters do get lost.'_ **

"So this letter got lost..."

"Mhm. They found it underneath one of the massive wrapping machines," Jiwon said, sipping his tea again but Junhoe had completely forgot about his as he asked a loud _, "What?!"_

"Santa thought that the 'dog I can talk to' bit meant that you wanted a hybrid," Jiwon laughed, all merry and hearty and Junhoe swallowed as he realised that he loved Santa so much for giving him the  _sweetest_  dog he possibly could have. Santa ruled. Santa was the real MVP. Okay fine, maybe Junhoe was seriously still as cringy as he was back when he was twelve. "And I was so confused when he chose me but apparently I'm the sweetest one who's cuddly too that was there."

"So you like, belong to Santa?"

"I  _did_. Now I belong to you," Jiwon said and Junhoe's heart did a tumble that gymnastic legends would be jealous of. Not really. "Or well, kind of? I have my rights too but, sure. I belong to you."

"So you're  _special_? Like, North Pole, Christmas special? Is that why you always smell like candy canes?!"

"Yeah! Do you want another one?" Jiwon asked happily and in a blink of an eye, he was holding up a cane in front of Junhoe's face and Junhoe's eyes widened the size of the moon.

"Oh... _oh_. Oh, you have  _powers_?"

Jiwon shrugged which made Junhoe even more confused. But then Jiwon was looking down, placing the candy cane on the ground and he looked solemn in the way that always scared Junhoe when he'd turn that way. It made Junhoe want to wrap him up into a hug, but still listen to what he had to say.

"Santa said...to tell you all of this on Christmas Day. If I managed to make you keep me until then. He told me to ask you if I was good enough, and if I was okay, and if you say no then they'll take me away, back there." Jiwon bit his soft lips in worry, his ears drooping a little as his tail fell flat onto the ground, not its normal dangerous, distracting, evil self. And Junhoe finally decided to man up and reach out for Jiwon, tugging the hybrid into his lap and resting one hand at the curve of his waist and one on Jiwon's face, his thumb brushing over Jiwon's lips to stop the guy from biting them relentlessly.

"Why do you look so sad?" Junhoe asked as a genuine question because he felt confused and Jiwon shrugged but it had less attitude than it usually did and it was more subtle, and Jiwon's tail ever so slowly came forward to brush across Junhoe's chest, soft and melancholy.

"I don't want to go," Jiwon replied quietly, looking down and Junhoe shook his head, kissing Jiwon's temple and the hybrid fisted Junhoe's shirt gently.

"Ask me."

"What?"

"Ask me the question."

"Am I good enough?" Jiwon asked, his tone heartbreakingly soft and Junhoe's chest tightened as he tilted Jiwon's jaw up, looking deep into those amazing sparkling eyes which had the pupils drowning in a dark sea of twinkling sadness, and Junhoe felt so confused.

"How could you possibly think I'd say no?" Junhoe murmured, genuinely, because he was pretty certain that he had shown Jiwon by now that he liked him, maybe even  _loved_  him to an extent that would only grow, to pieces. Jiwon made him soft, Jiwon made him dizzy, Jiwon made him  _happy_. He had long-ass legs that Junhoe loved and nice-ass arms that made Junhoe  _feel_  loved, and he was just the epitome of precious. How the hell did Jiwon not understand that?

Jiwon perked up after hearing Junhoe's words, his tail cautiously wagging and before he could make a sound, Junhoe leant forward to slot their lips together gently, marvelling at the taste of tea, cinnamon, candy canes, perfection. Jiwon made a soft noise of surprise, whining quietly as he coiled his arms around Junhoe's neck and they both melted against each other as tiny snowmen and reindeer ran around their heads, and the urge for oxygen broke them apart.

"W-Why?" Jiwon questioned in breathy confusion, and Junhoe only pointed up at the ceiling above them and Jiwon looked up, only to see what he had put there himself. Mistletoe.

 _"Mistletoe's a tradition,_ " Junhoe imitated teasingly, laughing when Jiwon's tail poked his chest hard but then it was dissolving into a soft yawn which made Junhoe groan straight after. "Ugh, I need to sleep...I'm sorry, Jiwon, I really am-"

"Can I sleep with you?" Jiwon asked, completely innocently even as his tail stroked along Junhoe's throat and Junhoe felt like he couldn't possibly say to no, especially to Jiwon's eyes. Actually, especially to  _Jiwon_  full stop.

There wasn't any better feeling than to finally be sleeping in his bed, something that didn't happen a lot because he had both given it to Jiwon and usually felt too tired to actually get  _all the way_  there, so he'd just go for the couch. But now there was overwhelming comfort and warmth, as well as a hot, incredible hybrid in his arms, pressed up against him.

"Don't ever think I'll leave you again. That actually got me very offended," Junhoe grumbled and Jiwon grinned, burrowing into Junhoe and his soft dog ears twitched, brushing against Junhoe's lips gently.

"Okay. Merry Christmas, oh-so-patriotic Jun-hwe who shall never leave his darling dogman."

"Better," Junhoe said in satisfaction, before he leant down and kissed the tip of Jiwon's nose which instantly turned red, spreading across his face and Junhoe grinned. "You like that when you're a dog too."

"We're the same specimen, June."

"I know, I know but I just wanted to say it. And...ugh, you  _know_  I'm terrible at compliments but we've come this far so I'll just- you're gorgeous, you know. As a dog, and as just you, just this, human. And inside too. If I'm telling you this then it  _has_  to be true, okay? Don't forget it."

"I looooove you," Jiwon said happily, grinning sleepily as he booped Junhoe's nose and now it was the latter's time to blush, his face turning a sunset pink that felt almost painful and he thought to himself,  _he's sleepy, and he doesn't know what he's saying. Don't overthink this._ "Merry Christmas, June."

Junhoe nodded, closing his eyes as he felt Jiwon's evil but not so evil tail soothing over his shin and he smiled, pressing his head against Jiwon's. "Merry Christmas."

Junhoe had thought that it was a blessing to live alone, but now he could never.

 

**Author's Note:**

> MERRY CHRISTMAS MY LOVELY HUMANS AND HYBRIDS
> 
> i started this YESTERDAY, HOLY CRACKERS 
> 
> IT WAS STRESSFUL BUT I HAD SO MANY CHRISTMAS IDEAS THAT I JUST COULDN'T DO ANY OF THEM AND THEN THIS IDEA WAS LIKE SMacK BANG into my face and i just wrote and wrote, honest to god my mother's so mad at me lmao but i feel ACCOMPLISHED AND I SHOULD STOP YELLING BUT I JUST- AHHHHH? 
> 
> you know while i was writing this my father said 'you know it doesn't feel like you're into the christmas spirit at all' and I almost strangled him, I was so angry
> 
> so this was very fun. ldasbhv i can foresee it getting some people angry though. but i am a no-gooder who lives by nO man's rules. yes i'm not making sense but BUT sorry if this was bad. or not worth it. i tried my best? anyway, i'm just hoping it instilled some sort of festivity into you - have a nice dayyy IT CHRISTMAS


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